Meridian, Mississippi
| Meridian, Mississippi | ||
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| City | ||
| City of Meridian | ||
A view of downtown from the third floor of Meridian City Hall; the 16-story Threefoot Building dominates the skyline
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| Nickname(s): Queen City | ||
| Motto: "A Better Longitude On Life" | ||
 Location of Meridian in Lauderdale County |
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 Meridian, Mississippi
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| Coordinates: 32°22′29″N 88°42′15″W / 32.37472°N 88.70417°WCoordinates: 32°22′29″N 88°42′15″W / 32.37472°N 88.70417°W | ||
| Country |
 United States
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| State |
 Mississippi
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| County | Lauderdale | |
| Incorporated | February 10, 1860 | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Percy Bland | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 118.8 km2 (45.9 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 116.9 km2 (45.1 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 1.9 km2 (0.8 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 105 m (344 ft) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • City | 41,148 | |
| • Density | 342.0/km2 (885.9/sq mi) | |
| • Metro | 107,449 | |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | |
| ZIP code(s) | 39301-39307 | |
| Area code(s) | 601 | |
| FIPS code | 28-46640 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0673491 | |
| Website | www.meridianms.org | |
Meridian is the sixth largest city in the state of Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area. Along major highways, the city is 93 mi (150 km) east of Jackson, Mississippi; 154 mi (248 km) west of Birmingham, Alabama; 202 mi (325 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana; and 231 mi (372 km) southeast of Memphis, Tennessee.
Established in 1860, at the intersection of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and Southern Railway of Mississippi, Meridian's economy was built on the railways and goods transported on them, and it became a strategic trading center. During the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman burned much of the city to the ground in the Battle of Meridian (February 1864).
Rebuilt after the war, the city entered a "Golden Age", as it become the largest city in Mississippi between 1890 and 1930, and a leading center for manufacturing in the South, with 44 trains arriving and departing daily. Union Station, built in 1906, is now a multi-modal center, giving access to the Meridian Transit System, Greyhound Buses, and Trailways, averaging 242,360 passengers per year. Although the economy slowed with the decline of the railroad industry, the city has diversified, with healthcare, military, and manufacturing employing the most people in 2010. The population within the city limits, according to 2008 census estimates, is 38,232, but a population of 232,900 in a 45-mile (72 km) radius and 526,500 in a 65-mile (105 km) radius, of which 104,600 and 234,200 people respectively are in the labor force, feed the economy of the city.
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